A passionate sportsperson seldom stays away from action. Post-retirement life sounds good and healthy, but something, almost always, drags them back to enjoy a sport they love. Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi, who drew the curtains on their laudable careers years ago, have found a ‘tennis-similar’ recreational activity to enjoy. They have been contesting in the Pickleball Slam since its inaugural edition. Ahead of the event’s upcoming thriller in 2025, Agassi found it best to issue a nerving warning to his countryman.

The first season of the annual tournament was hosted in February 2023, and the line-up included retired tennis stars. Subsequently, teams were divided, and Roddick and Agassi took on John McEnroe and Michael Chang. After a captivating showdown, Roddick-Agassi minted a calm $1M purse after winning the doubles ‘winner-take-all’ match. In its successive edition this year in February, Agassi again came on top. Only this time, he teamed with Steffi Graf to eliminate the pair of McEnroe and Maria Sharapova. To much excitement, teams for the much-anticipated Pickleball Slam 3 were recently announced.

Housing more manpower, each team will now have three members. Agassi, Graf, and Mardy Fish will battle the trio of Roddick, Eugenie Bouchard, and John Isner. However, new team additions have hardly made a dent in Agassi’s confidence. The two-time champion, naturally, found it prudent to forewarn Roddick and his teammates to gear up in case they’re prepping to break his three-peat win next year on Sunday, February 16.

In a video posted by The Pickleball Slam on their Instagram, Agassi said – “Yo Andy, I heard that the teams are all set for the Pickleball Slam 3. You and Genie got the ‘Big’ John Isner. Me and Stef got Mardy Fish. Well, we welcome Mardy Fish. And we also welcome the b–t-kicking that we’re gonna drop on you guys. Feb 16, right here in our hometown in Las Vegas. Better show up.” However, pickleball isn’t the only place that attracts their tribe.

With a keen foot in the tennis world, Roddick has actively remained vigilant of its latest occurrences and recently dropped a candid admission for Rafael Nadal following his farewell in Malaga.

Andy Roddick lauds Rafael Nadal’s impact as a sporting great

Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal concluded his 22-Grand Slam stellar career at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga after a ‘cocktail’ of injuries hampered his on-court appearance and affected his exploding mobility. Nadal suffered a shock 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Botic Van de Zandschulp on Tuesday, marking his first Davis Cup singles loss in 20 years. Spain’s quarter-final tie against the Netherlands ended 2-1 early Wednesday morning, bringing Nadal’s illustrious career to a close.

During an episode on the ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast, the 2003 US Open champion stated: “There are things that us normies can never replicate. I will never, in my life, go out and hit a ball and create a spinning mechanism. Even just for fun, I can’t go out and just do it. Like, it’s such an otherworldly talent, but you tell a seven-year-old, ‘Watch this guy, watch his temperament, watch the way he gets back.’ Like simultaneously, I’ve never seen someone who is entirely relatable and completely unrelatable in the best ways.”

With Nadal retired, chances are that he will find his sporting passion again by entering exhibition showdowns or maybe, marks guest appearances at decorated tour-level events. However, Rafa might be persuaded to play pickleball, if Roddick and Agassi express taking their chances against the Spaniard.